Travel that's nice to the earth and your budget.

March 11, 2008

Keeping up with the Green Joneses in Barra de Navidad, Mexico, Part 1

Casa de los Abuelos (house of the grandparents) is in a growing neighborhood in Barra de Navidad, Mexico. Barra de Navidad is a little beach town on the southern Pacific Mexican coast, about 125 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. This three-bedroom, red-painted rental offers a green version of beach-front, small-town living.

Owners Bob and Wanda Jones say that installing and setting up their solar panel system was a challenge, but now they are getting 6 kilowatts of sun-power per day. "Power usage must be careful to make the most of what we generate off the panels," they say. Their back-up energy comes from a bank of batteries that can last up to two days with smart power use. Despite the hard work it took to start the solar project, the Joneses now are looking forward to adding more panels and increasing their energy self-sufficiency.

While you’re enjoying the solar power, the Joneses say their guests should also take time to drink in the local culture. “[Spend] time in the evenings shopping, eating out, and watching how old Mexico still operates,” they suggest. Similarly, the couple likes to spend the time they have at Casa de los Abuelos “eating at the streetside restaurants with the locals and dining out.” They also like stretching out under the home’s palapa, swimming in the pool, and combing the miles of beaches.

Come back tomorrow for rental rates and a Green Postcard first – a discount for mentioning this feature!

1 Comment

5 years later, the time has finally come when we decided to become totally reliant on the sun, for our electricity needs at our vacation home here in Barra de Navidad, Mexico.
In late October with the help of Jsun Mills of Esunenergy.com and the CFE power company of Mexico, we now have added enough solar equipment to supply all our electrical needs.
We are still connected to the grid because it allows us to "bank" our future energy needs with the CFE.
We actually produce more than we will use and have reduced our carbon footprint to zero.
Future guests who rent our home, when we are not here, will be happy to know they are part of the solution to our planets co2 emissions.